Grounders vs ball in the air

[CoogansBluff]

Many believe that keeping the ball low in the zone keeps the ball in the park. Thing is ... I've seen plenty of HRs off of pitches low in the zone.

Are these commentators correct when they preach keeping the ball low in the zone? Is it a function of the batter? Let's say a hitter has grooved a good barrel path that will result in a steeper, more diagonal barrel, at impact, for a ball lower in the zone. Wouldn't this increase the probability of getting the ball in the air?

Yes, that does stand to reason. In fact, my DD has been working to move toward getting a little steeper/more diagonal at impact. In practice, she gets it and can launch those low ones. She has a teammate who does that very well (might call it a ferris-wheel swing) and hits bombs off low pitches off some really good pitchers.

My guess is that if you're facing hitters who've mastered that sort of swing, staying low might not be so wise. Most hitters I see in travel ball don't get that concept and swing more 'level' and have trouble digging out low balls, especially if those that have good downward movement.

 

[slingnit]

Pete Rose could get away with that as his philosophy because he happened to have excellent mechanics to go along with it.

I would not call his mechanics excellent whatsoever, very compact and ton of bat lag. That said he is my absolute favorite player ever.

 

[slingnit]

Yes, but a line drive to the gap is an RBI 100% of the time. And you now have another runner in scoring position and no more outs than you did initially.

A line drive to the gap vs weak ground ball, which is more likely? Not saying the ground ball is better but at times just putting the ball in play on the ground is the safe bet, no different than a bunt.

 

[slingnit]

Last I checked, using the MLB stats for this particular topic led to the same conclusions as for high-end softball. The focus should be on hitting line-drives.

As for hitting being 'over coached' ... yes & no. For many, keeping things simple is the way to go. That said ... your example of Pete Rose misses the mark IMO. Pete Rose was in sequence. I get several hitters that come to me "out of sequence", and if the sequence is not coached for these individuals then the philosophy of "see ball, hit ball" won't play out well for them.

Basically, once you get it ... the swing is incredibly simple ... and "see ball, hit ball" can be fine.

Simple can work ... but ignoring what isn't often natural for many folks isn't necessarily the path to success in hitting ... IMO anyway.

Regardless of the sequence of Rose's swing he did not overthink hitting. He was agressive at the plate, his swings at balls out of the strike zone looked horrible but he made contact. Many people have flawless mechanics but don't hit the ball well because of overthinking, scared of missing, or whatever reason.

 

[slingnit]

Many believe that keeping the ball low in the zone keeps the ball in the park. Thing is ... I've seen plenty of HRs off of pitches low in the zone.

Are these commentators correct when they preach keeping the ball low in the zone? Is it a function of the batter? Let's say a hitter has grooved a good barrel path that will result in a steeper, more diagonal barrel, at impact, for a ball lower in the zone. Wouldn't this increase the probability of getting the ball in the air?

My dd was brought in with 1 ball, bases loaded and Breanna Dozier at the plate this weekend. Worked it to a full count and put the ball below the knees and on the inside corner. It has yet to land! lol

 

[strawman]

I would not call his mechanics excellent whatsoever, very compact and ton of bat lag. That said he is my absolute favorite player ever.

He was my dad's favorite as well. What part of his swing do you not like?

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[strawman]

A line drive to the gap vs weak ground ball, which is more likely? Not saying the ground ball is better but at times just putting the ball in play on the ground is the safe bet, no different than a bunt.

Try to hit hard line drives every swing and you'll sometimes miss and hit a productive ground ball. But I would never teach hitting ground balls.

 

[Westwind]

I absolutely do not want my girls swinging down on the ball. I don't even want my slappers chopping. I want all of them to square everything up.

I want contact to be made while the bat head is on an upward plane. Of course, since the hands and bat head are placed high in the stance, the first part of the swing must be downward to bring all the goods into the proper path. But I want the bat head to bottom out before contact and be arcing back upward. Essentially, you should be able to draw an arc that closely resembles a "c" that the bat head follows, starting high at the rear and ending high in the front. The "C" rotates around a leaned-back axis of approximately 10-15 degrees that roughly follows the angle of the front leg at contact.

In order to square a ball up at this upward angle, contact would be made vs. a ball with a relatively flat plane of approach slightly under the center line (as it relates to ball's flight path).

I do not want them "hitting the top half" of the ball. Ground balls are outs. Sometimes, they are double plays. There is no defense against a ball that is hit over the fence.

I realize this is contrary to what a lot of folks on this board teach. However, it works and it works at the highest levels of our sport. I teach this swing to our youngest girls. Of course, they don't have the power to hit the ball over the fence but one day, when they are 12 or 13 or 14, they square one up and it flies. Better to teach 'em right from the start and let their bodies catch up than take shortcuts designed to have them be successful against 10U competition and then have to work out the bad habits later.

Could not agree more.

Many believe that keeping the ball low in the zone keeps the ball in the park. Thing is ... I've seen plenty of HRs off of pitches low in the zone.

Are these commentators correct when they preach keeping the ball low in the zone? Is it a function of the batter? Let's say a hitter has grooved a good barrel path that will result in a steeper, more diagonal barrel, at impact, for a ball lower in the zone. Wouldn't this increase the probability of getting the ball in the air?

Working on this very thing right now with my younger dd. Some almost look like pop ups when they come off the bat but the result is much better. I also figured out this can't really be worked on in the cage. Has to be outside and preferably with a fence.

 

[slingnit]

Go to 17:56 and tell me what you like about his 3rd swing, which is supposedly his best. His objective was to hit the ball, period. He never had the Griffey Jr effortless perfect swing, he was excellent at adjusting to make contact. But if I'm gonna make a video to show off mechanics I'm gonna pick the absolute best swing on film to use. And I'm sure many would point out his lack of extension.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Last I checked, using the MLB stats for this particular topic led to the same conclusions as for high-end softball. The focus should be on hitting line-drives.

As for hitting being 'over coached' ... yes & no. For many, keeping things simple is the way to go. That said ... your example of Pete Rose misses the mark IMO. Pete Rose was in sequence. I get several hitters that come to me "out of sequence", and if the sequence is not coached for these individuals then the philosophy of "see ball, hit ball" won't play out well for them.

Basically, once you get it ... the swing is incredibly simple ... and "see ball, hit ball" can be fine.

Simple can work ... but ignoring what isn't often natural for many folks isn't necessarily the path to success in hitting ... IMO anyway.

Regardless of the sequence of Rose's swing he did not overthink hitting. He was agressive at the plate, his swings at balls out of the strike zone looked horrible but he made contact. Many people have flawless mechanics but don't hit the ball well because of overthinking, scared of missing, or whatever reason.

Not sure how much thinking you are expecting in the batter's box. Most of the "thinking" is done between pitches. Good hitters rely on short-term muscle memory and keep their game swing relatively clear of thoughts on mechanics